Numbers in the Bible

Posted On July 10, 2023

“But even the hairs of your head are all numbered.”

Matthew 10:30 ESV

“As if the stories in the Bible weren’t interesting enough, there are layers of meaning immersed in the numbers, letters, and words found in the text…. Anyone who spends any time with the Bible will soon begin to take notice of numbers. Many appear over and over again, and one can’t help wondering if there might be something more behind them.”

The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Biblical Mysteries

This week I did a little research on numbers in the Bible and their meanings. And I’ve continued our three-week puzzle theme by including a printable color-by-number page at the end of this post. As a math person, I’ve always been fascinated by the repeated use of certain numbers in Scripture. And the more I learn about God, the more I see His presence in all of creation, including mathematics. I’ve shared below some of the information I found, but there is more to be discovered. So, I hope this post inspires you to dig into Scripture a little deeper and see what God reveals!

“The Bible begins with seven days of creation; it ends with a book built on sevens that tells of the ultimate destiny of that creation…. Seven is a favorite number of God’s. There are seven days in a week. Seven notes in Western music. Seven colors in the rainbow. Used as often as it is, in the way it is, it must have some significance over and above its mere numerical value. Symbolically, it is thought to stand for completeness, fullness, totality, a whole….”

Halley’s Bible Handbook

“‘To whom will you compare me?
    Or who is my equal?’ says the Holy One.”

Isaiah 40:25 NIV

Certain numbers show up often in Scripture, which is pretty amazing when we consider the many different authors and the hundreds of years it took to compile the writings. Here is a sampling of some of the number references in the Bible:

One: A Symbol of God’s Supremacy

• One God

Two: The Number Representing Duality and Unity

• Two Testaments in the Bible
• Two humans in the garden of Eden: Adam and Eve
• Two of each kind of animal on Noah’s Ark
• Two people in the stories depicting opposites: Cain and Abel, Leah and Rachel, Mary and Martha
• Two stone tablets held the Ten Commandments
• Two angels at Jesus’ Resurrection

Three: The Numerical Signature of God

• The Trinity: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit
• Three sections of the Hebrew Bible: Torah, Prophets, and Writings
• Three patriarchs: Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob
• Three daily prayers and three yearly fasts in Judaism
• Sacrifices: Animals had to be three years old
• Three days Jonah spent inside a fish
• Jesus rose from the dead on the third day

Four: The Numerical Signature of Nature and Creation

• Four phases of the moon, four cardinal directions, four rivers flowing out of Eden
• Four matriarchs: Sarah, Rebekah, Rachel, and Leah
• Four Gospels
• Four horsemen of the apocalypse

Five: A Symbol of God’s Grace Toward His People

• Five books of the Torah/Pentateuch: Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy
• The number five occurs many times in the building of the Tabernacle
• The book of Psalms is split into five major sections
• Five loaves of bread used by Jesus to feed 5,000 people

Six: The Number of Incompleteness (1 less than 7)

• Six days of creation
• 666: The mark of the apocalyptic beast

Seven: A Symbol of Completeness or Perfection (7 = 3 + 4)

• God rested on the seventh day of Creation
• Sabbath day is the seventh day of the week
• Special sacredness of the seventh month, the seventh year, and the seventh seventh (forty-ninth) year in Leviticus
• Seven branches of the menorah, seven-day feasts of Passover and of Tabernacles, Seven Pillars of Wisdom in Proverbs
• Joseph dreamed of seven good years and seven famine years
• The walls of Jericho came tumbling down on the seventh day of marching after seven priests circled the city seven times blowing seven trumpets
• Jesus taught that we should forgive others seventy times seven times
• Multiple references to the number seven in the book of Revelation

Eight: A Symbol of New Beginnings

• Eight human survivors of the great flood
• Circumcision was performed on the eighth day after birth
• Eight days of Passover

Ten: The Signature of Worldly Power

• Ten plagues in Exodus
• Ten Commandments
• Ten northern tribes of Israel

Twelve: The Signature of God’s people (12 = 3 x 4)

• Twelve tribes of Israel
• Twelve “minor prophets” in the Old Testament
• Twelve disciples of Jesus
• In Revelation, the number twelve symbolizes the salvation of God’s people

Forty: A Long Period of Time

• Forty days and forty nights of rain during the great flood
• Forty days Moses spend on Mount Sinai
• Forty years the Israelites spent wandering in the wilderness
• Forty days Jesus spent wandering in the desert
• Forty days between the Resurrection of Jesus and His ascension into heaven

“The repeated use of these numbers is notable. Seven in particular seems to be significant, often indicating completeness.”

The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Biblical Mysteries

This week’s Scripture passages focus on numbers in the Bible. More than anything else, these repeated number references reassure us that God is the ultimate Author of Scripture. And He is the ultimate Author of our lives. I’ve been studying mathematics for most of my life, and if there’s one thing it teaches you, it’s how to solve problems. When my students get stuck, they trust me to help them find the answer. When we get stuck in life, we can trust God to do the same!

“All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right.”

2 Timothy 3:16 NLT

“So teach us to number our days that we may get a heart of wisdom.”

Psalm 90:12 ESV

References:

• Halley’s Bible Handbook with the New International Version. 25th ed., Zondervan, 2000.
• “The Meaning of the Number 5 in the Bible.” Bible Wings, https://biblewings.com/the-meaning-of-the-number-5-in-the-bible.
• “The Meaning of the Number 8 in the Bible.” Bible Wings, https://biblewings.com/the-number-8-meaning-in-the-bible.
• Mysteries of the Bible: The Enduring Questions of the Scriptures. The Reader’s Digest Association, Inc., 1988.
• Ryan, Donald P. The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Biblical Mysteries. Alpha, 2000.

Images:

• Numbers featured image by Alicja from Pixabay
• Spiral Numbers image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay (edited)
• Blue Numbers image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay
• Calendar image by tigerlily713 from Pixabay (edited)